Privatization and restructuring public involvement in housing provision in Britain

Since 1979 Britain has embarked upon a more wide ranging programme of housing privatization than other European countries. A considerable amount has been written about changes in British housing policy in this period but references to privatization tend to be to policies to sell municipally owned housing. This article argues that to equate privatization with the sale of state housing involves too narrow a view. A more appropriate perspective is one which sees privatization as a key element in a wider range of housing policies. In this way privatization policies have taken a variety of forms and had a more general impact on the restructuring of housing in Britain. This article identifies a range of elements in privatization and indicates different forms of privatization before drawing conclusions related to comparisons with other European countries. -Author